Eloise and I actually like making these shortbread cookies using whichever edible flowers are in season. Inside the spring, we gravitate in direction of pansies and violas, which work considerably properly because of their skinny, delicate flowers. Come summer season, we use the petals of geraniums, lilacs, marigolds, nasturtiums, roses, and sunflowers. Makes 18 to 24 cookies, counting on the scale of the cookie cutter
Parts
2 dozen edible flowers or 2cups edible flower petals
1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus additional for dusting
Directions
1. Snip flowers from their stems, being cautious to take care of the flowers intact. If the flowers are too giant to point out on the cookies, take away the petals from the center disk so you need to use them individually.
2. Place the flowers between two sheets of parchment paper and set the paper between heavy books for on the very least an hour, or use a flower press, in case you may have one.
3. In the event you’re capable of bake, preheat the oven to 325°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and put apart.
4. Place the butter, confectioners’ sugar, and flour inside the bowl of a stand mixer and mix properly until a crumbly dough sorts. (It will look like crumbs inside the stand mixer, nonetheless will sort a ball when you squeeze the dough in your hand.).
5. Mud a bit flooring with flour and type the dough proper right into a ball. Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough to some 1/4-inch thickness. If the dough sticks to the rolling pin, flippantly flour the dough, and roll it out between two sheets of parchment paper.
6. Cut back out the cookies using cookie cutters or the mouth of a half-pint-size mason jar. Use a spatula to change the cookies to the baking sheets.
7. Bake for 20 minutes, or until the cookies flip barely golden on the underside.
8. Take away the cookies from the oven. Whereas they’re nonetheless scorching from the oven, use your fingers to softly press the flowers or petals onto the tops of the cookies. The warmth from the cookies, combined with the sunshine pressure out of your fingers, will help the flowers stick.
9. Allow the cookies to sit back, then serve or freeze them in an airtight container for as a lot as 4 weeks.